Dear Holy Spirit,

I am writing this article on December 12th, the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Looking at this image of Our Lady helps me reflect on Advent, and we can and should look to Mary during this time as well.

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RCIA

Congratulations to our Catechumens and Candidates as they were welcomed into the church with the Rite of Acceptance and Welcome last Sunday. Please pray for them as they continue their journey to full initiation.

Faith Formation

We will be on break for Christmas and New Years. Classes will resume Sunday/Monday, January 7/8, 2024.

Christmas Pageant

The cast is set and practices are under way! It looks to be another wonderful telling of Jesus’ birth by our children.

Volunteer Opportunities

At SACRED HEART COMMUNITY SERVICE

Open your hearts during the holidays and help out at Sacred Heart Community Service’s Holiday Programs.

Your hands are needed to help distribute food to customers for the upcoming holidays.

Signups are now open for food packing and distribution. Remember, it is one spot per person and you must sign up every person who is participating. If a sign up date is full and you want to still volunteer, please contact Mary Jane Vitkovich at mjvitkovich@hotmail.com.

To sign up for food distribution on December 19th, please click here.

Toy Sorting and Distribution at Sacred Heart

Volunteer opportunities are now open to help out with Sacred Heart's Toy Program. Customers will be able to choose from among hundreds of donated toys to surprise their children on Christmas morning. Volunteers are needed to help with set up and distribution. To help with set up, please click here. To help with distribution, please click here. For any questions please contact Mary Jane Vitkovich at : mjvitkovich@hotmail.com.

Gifts of Opportunity

Holy Spirit Church is once again excited to offer our community the opportunity to give the gift of lasting change! This Christmas, we invite you to share joy by giving opportunity in rural Nicaragua by gifting in your name, your loved ones, friends, co-worker, or company. Your generosity and support will bless a child, family, or an entire community. Whether it’s the health of a family, their economic development, or education, your support will have a lasting impact.

Over the past 10+ years, hundreds of Holy Spirit community volunteers and missionaries work alongside Amigos For Christ staff in Nicaragua. Last year’s trip was a huge success and we are starting to plan for next year’s service trip scheduled for June 22-29th. Check out our website for more details.

This year, gifts are being offered in three areas: Education, Water & Healthy Living and Economic Development. Choose from sponsoring a scholarship student for a year, building clean-air kitchens to eliminate a major source of respiratory issues, funding microloans for families to create sustainable sources of income, and many more options.

Amigos for Christ 2024 Goals include providing for:

1,200 families with clean water = 6 water systems

200 bathrooms

200 clean air kitchens

70 students with direct sponsors

175 small business support

These incredible projects are made possible by YOUR COMPASSION and GENEROSITY! Your donations help break the cycle of poverty and transform life in Nicaragua.

HOW IT WORKS:

1. You purchase Gifts of Opportunity on behalf of your friends and family members by either:

• Stopping by the Gifts of Opportunity table outside of church after any mass between 12/2 – 12/17 and meet some of our incredible volunteers who will share their stories, and tell you firsthand how your gift will MAKE A DIFFERENCE this Christmas!

• Visiting http://amigosforchrist.org/gohs/

2. Your loved ones receive a beautiful card and keepsake ornament that explains the impact of their gift.

3. Families or communities in Nicaragua receive opportunities that will change their lives forever.

Winter Blood Drive

Stanford Blood Center will be on site on Sunday, December 17th. Appointment times are 8:30am-1:30pm – walk-ins accepted. If you are able to donate blood, please consider doing so to help alleviate shortages during the cold winter months. Appointments can be made online by clicking here. For any assistance, contact Row David – row.david@dsj.org

Survival Sack Ministry

Holy Spirit Parish staffs and manages the Survival Sack Program at Sacred Heart Community Center. We gather on the first and third Thursdays of the month from 8:30 am to 10:45 am to distribute Survival Sacks to those who are registered as homeless and living on the streets of San Jose. Homeless clients may pick up a backpack once every three months. The backpacks contain a small blanket, socks, underwear, a large hygiene kit, gloves, hat, toilet paper and a water bottle. Tarps donated by Holy Spirit Parish (Turkeys and Tarps Drive) are also available.

If you are over the age 18 and are interested in volunteering in this ministry, please click here to register for Jan. 4^th and here for Jan. 18th. If you want more information, please contact Tom Burgei or Patty O’Neil

at  tnburgei@gmail.com or call 408-504-0909 and they will speak with you about volunteer opportunities.

Texas Mission Trip 2024

Registrations are now open! The Texas Mission Trip is scheduled for February 18-24, 2024. The trip marks its 10th anniversary of our National Mission trip, the 8th in San Augustine, Texas. Adults and youth as early as the 6th grade can serve. It is a great way to put faith into action. For more information, visit our website or contact Row David – row.david@dsj.org. Click here to register.

3sixty High School Ministry

Our next 3sixty youth night will be on Sunday, December 17th. We will be having a Christmas social. For those who want to participate, we will be doing a white elephant gift exchange. Bring a wrapped gift of no more than $15 in value. Christmas attire is also welcome: ugly x-mas sweaters, nice x-mas sweaters, x-mas pjs, etc. This will be a great way to celebrate our last youth night of the 2023 calendar year.

Confirmation Year 2

The December session is scheduled for Wednesday, December 20th at 6:30pm.

Revs Vs. Sems Basketball Tournament

Let's cheer on our favorite priests and seminarians with the Vocations Office's first event of the year! The tournament will be Sunday, Jan 21, 2024. Tickets are available to purchase through Fr. John Hoang. Please contact him for more information - john.hoang@dsj.org.